Scheduled television programming can be recorded when initially distributed for viewing as a live broadcast, and can then be made available for on-demand viewing when requested via a media device, such as a television set-top box. This is commonly referred to as Network Digital Video Recording (nDVR) and a viewer can request the recorded television content, such as movies and television programs, when convenient for the viewer. In a television content distribution system, a live content server can distribute the television content to broadcast it for viewing, and a timeshift server can record the television content as it is being distributed.
Depending on the viewing demands and requests for recorded television content, new timeshift servers can be allocated as needed to meet the requests and viewing demands. When a new timeshift server is allocated, the television content is buffered as it is being broadcast for live viewing, and a buffer of the timeshift server has to be completely written with the broadcast television content before the timeshift server can be placed on-line to service the requests and viewing demands. A newly allocated timeshift server that provides a recording of the last seven days of recorded television content, for example, will not be available to service the increasing viewing demands for the seven days needed to write the buffer of the newly allocated timeshift server with the live television content as it is being distributed.